The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. Eligible students and parents have a right:
- to inspect and review the student’s educational records maintained by the University within 45 days of the day the university receives a request for access. Students should submit to the office of records and registration written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The university official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the official to whom the request was submitted, that official will advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
The University is not required to furnish copies of such records unless they are unreasonably difficult to inspect personally, in which case the University reserves the right to charge a reasonable fee for such copies.
- to request in writing that the University amend educational records believed to be inaccurate or misleading.
Students may ask the university amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the university official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
If the university decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the student or parent may request a review by the provost or appropriate vice president after which, if University still refuses, the student or parent has a right to place a statement in the student’s record commenting on the contested information. The right to challenge grades does not apply under this policy unless the assigned grade was inaccurately recorded.
- to consent to certain disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s educational records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent of certain information, including directory information.
One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to university officials with legitimate educational interests. A University official is defined as a person employed by the university in an administrative, supervisory, academic, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit and health staff); a person or company with whom the university has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or assisting another University official in performing his or her tasks.
A University Official has a legitimate education interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
Upon request, the University also discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
- To file a complaint
The student has a right to file a complaint with the US Department of Education concering alleged failures by the university to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
US Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
